an action occurs
🪁AP PSYCHOLOGY STUDY GUIDE
Unit 3: Growth and Learning
Review conditioning, observational learning, thinking across age, attachment, and identity for AP Psychology Unit 3.
8 key ideas8 flashcards5 practice questions
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Behavior and consequence form a repeatable pattern.
something follows the action
the action becomes more or less likely
Key ideas to know
Start with the relationships between ideas. Then close the notes and explain each one from memory.
- 01
Classical conditioning links two stimuli so one begins to predict the other.
- 02
Operant conditioning links behavior with its consequences.
- 03
Reinforcement increases a behavior, while punishment decreases it.
- 04
Observational learning occurs by watching others and the outcomes they receive.
- 05
Maturation and experience both contribute to abilities across age.
- 06
Attachment grows from repeated caregiver interaction and differs from simple feeding.
- 07
Cognitive abilities emerge in an ordered pattern, though timing varies among children.
- 08
Adolescence includes physical growth plus shifts in identity and social thinking.
PART OF THE AP PSYCHOLOGY GUIDE
See every set in this course and follow a focused review order.
Open the full AP Psychology guide →Two ideas worth correcting now
NOT QUITE
→Negative reinforcement means punishment
USE THIS INSTEAD
Negative reinforcement increases a behavior by removing an aversive condition.
NOT QUITE
→Children pass each milestone on the same date
USE THIS INSTEAD
Sequences can be predictable while timing still varies among individuals.
Flashcards
Answer before opening each card. The effort to retrieve is part of the learning.
1What is an unconditioned stimulus?Show answer ＋
A stimulus that naturally produces a response without prior learning.
2What does negative reinforcement do?Show answer ＋
It increases behavior by removing an aversive condition.
3What is successive approximation in operant conditioning?Show answer ＋
Reinforcing successive approximations toward a target behavior.
4What is observational learning?Show answer ＋
Learning by watching the actions and outcomes of others.
5What is object permanence?Show answer ＋
Awareness that an object still exists when it cannot be seen.
6What is secure attachment?Show answer ＋
A pattern in which a child uses a caregiver as a safe base and is comforted after reunion.
7What is conservation?Show answer ＋
Awareness that quantity can remain constant despite a shift in appearance.
8What is a sensitive period?Show answer ＋
A span when experience has an especially strong effect on a developing ability.
Explain it in your own words
Use the answer as a check after you have written or spoken your response.
01How does negative reinforcement differ from punishment?
Negative reinforcement removes something aversive to increase behavior, while punishment reduces behavior.
02How can spontaneous recovery occur after extinction?
A conditioned response can briefly return after a rest period even without new pairings.
03Why can a model affect behavior without direct reinforcement?
A learner can observe the model's outcome and later reproduce the behavior.
04How can a caregiver test demonstrate attachment rather than hunger?
Proximity behavior, play from a safe base, and reunion behavior can be observed apart from feeding.
05Why should age averages not be treated as exact deadlines?
People vary in timing, and many abilities appear across a range rather than on one fixed date.
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